Have you ever tried to plan something with someone in a different time zone and you stop and say, “Wait, is this Eastern time or Central time?” The same holds true for many professions that operate and coordinate worldwide.

Zulu Time is a term used in meteorology, aviation, the military and other global operations to refer to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). It’s a standard time that doesn’t change with time zones or daylight saving. The word “Zulu” comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet, where the letter Z is pronounced "Zulu." So when someone says “1200 Zulu,” they mean 12:00 UTC, regardless of where they are in the world.

In global fields like weather forecasting and air traffic control, timing is everything, and miscommunication across time zones can be dangerous. By using Zulu Time, everyone stays on the same clock. Whether a hurricane advisory is issued in Miami or a satellite image is captured over the Pacific, using UTC ensures a universal reference point for when it happened.

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For example, if it’s 12:00 Zulu and you're in New York during daylight saving time, it’s 8 a.m. local time. In Los Angeles, it’s 5 a.m. That consistent reference is especially crucial for tracking storms, launching spacecraft or coordinating across continents in real time.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.